Hello.

 

Hi, I'm Annie.

Mother of 3,
spouse to G,
writer of things,
former batgirl,
sister,
daughter,
lucky friend,
and American
living in Australia.

Basic Joy = my attempt to document all of this life stuff, stubbornly looking for the joy in dailiness. 

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On my bookshelf
Annie's bookshelf:

Mama, Ph.D.: Women Write About Motherhood and Academic LifeMountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the WorldThe Sweetness at the Bottom of the PieThe Island: A NovelThe PassageSecret Spaces of Childhood

More of Annie's books »
Annie's  book recommendations, reviews, favorite quotes, book clubs, book trivia, book lists
On my mind
On my playlist

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Gallery

Just a collection of images that bring out the happy & hygge in me. 

More at my tumblr, Gather

and at my Pinterest pinboards

Entries in L (71)

Friday
Jan012010

Good night, 2009

Some of us are seeing the new year in with a bang

or at least a fancy party/ball...


 

^loving & sisterly after some get-ready friction about borrowing things and who's taller

Warm soup and a rousing game of monopoly by the fire for the rest of  us.

(Sam: "Mom, do we have to go in to Boston tonight?  I'd rather just stay here with you and dad.")

Sold!

Saturday
Dec122009

Car talk

Best place .09  |  the front seat of my car, 6:45 a.m. to 7:15 a.m. weekdays

It's not that we don't love each other.  Or that I don't get what it's like to be a 16-year-old girl or the oldest daughter in the family.  But sometimes Lauren and I clash, caught in a pattern of misunderstanding and frustration. Sometimes I lecture for so long, even I get tired of the sound of my voice.  And, yep, sometimes she gets a look in her eye and set to her jaw that tells me she's just not listening.

Every morning I drive her from her before-school religious education class (seminary) to her school, a drive that takes about 35 minutes.  As we watch the sun rise and the morning mist lift, we talk.  I hear about who likes who, fire drills, friendship dynamics, styles, rumors, her dreams, her crushes, her fears. We share music and opinions.  Car rides have become our DeMilitarized Zone.

The best place of 2009 is the front seat of my car, every morning of the school week.  Before long she'll have her license and be self propelled but for now I'm milking those morning moments for all they've got.

. . .

Day 11 of the Best of 09 challenge.  What was your best place in 09?

Wednesday
Dec022009

Glass choir

During Thanksgiving dinner the kids were enjoying getting a ringing sound from sliding their fingertips along the rim of the glasses. So afterwards, Lauren assembled a line of glasses, brought in the tuner and created a chromatic scale, goblet style. The rest of the weekend they spent experimenting with sheet music and original compositions (read: random playing).

It was kind of like when they were kids and they would spend hours building forts or playing with boxes.  Who knew a few glasses would keep the teenagers so busy? 

Wednesday
Nov182009

Car talk

Here's how it goes every morning: G and Lauren get up by 5, leave for seminary (early morning religious class for high schoolers) at 5:30.  G drops her off at 6 and goes on in to work.  Because she's the only one at seminary who attends her high school, I leave at 6:30 and go pick her up and take her to school, arriving home around 7:20.  (Are you with me?  Is this the most exciting paragraph you've ever read?)

Now I'm no early bird. But in spite of the crack-of-dawnness, that hour or so is one of my favorites in the day. The sunrise is usually stunning. And it's great chat time with my eldest child, just the two of us (as long as I'm not driving to seminary and all in a dither about punctuality).  Don't you love how driving in a car opens up kids to all kinds of topics and reflections? 

In addition to deepest thoughts and shallowest observations, we share music. Today Journey's Don't Stop Believing came on, a tune which always brings up memories of jr. high afternoon dances and the confusion about whether it was a slow song or a fast one.  We were singing along and I belted out the words.

"Mom, those aren't the right lyrics."

"What?! I think I know my own era songs, thankyouverymuch."

"Mom, really, listen when that line comes up again."

I did. 

She was right.

It's not "born and raised and self-destroyed" which is how I've been singing it. All. These. Years. Apparently (as I'm sure you all know) it's "born and raised in South Detroit." Whatever. I think my lyrics make more sense.  And more universal, for those of us non-Michiganites.

Turnabout is fair play, though; Lauren was just getting me back from this time.  

. . .

grateful for: the boost I feel after exercising, our 8 p.m. nightly gathering as a family, and keeping in touch with longtime friends (just had a great phone chat with my college roommate this afternoon)

Wednesday
Nov042009

The gomboo

Oh, my. We've got it here, the gomboo. Fever, chills, headache, cough.  I know we're kind of late to the flu party but here we are! Is there still any guacamole left? (Ugh, cancel that. Guacamole is the last thing we need at this moment.  How about popsicles?)   

We're all in our beds (everyone but G and Maddy), a coughing chorus of germ hosts.  Books, check.  Water, check. Pillows with the cool side a turn away, check. Rest time, check.

Sam, the sickest among us, groans in his sleep with every exhale, a faint little oh with every breath as he naps on the sofa.  Lauren feels fine but can't shake the fever--she's been watching movies and texting and seems full of ideas, asking to go for Wendy's frosties/subway sandwiches/movie rentals/driving practice.  I'm being a little productive in a slow motion, fuzzy kind of way with lots of forehead checks and drink fetching and temperature taking for the other patients. We will survive. 

Finger crossed G doesn't get it. He leaves for Paris on business at the end of the week. (Here, France, is our little hostess gift to you: the gomboo.)

--------

Grateful for: 1. the skylight in my bedroom with the view of the tenacious yellow leaves 2. duvets 3. advil to bring down fevers